A MEMBER of a business-oriented family, Ginger Portia Huang pursued what she wanted, and now she is a licensed medical technologist.
Huang, who topped fourth in the March 2023 Medical Technologists Licensure Examination, achieved a 91.7 percent rating.
Her interest to pursue a medical course was ignited in one of the topics she learned in high school – endocrine systems – and in Grey’s Anatomy series. She decided she wanted to be a part of the medical field, but at first, she was quite nervous about making this big decision.
“I realized what if I will pursue being a doctor? Then my mother’s colleagues recommended that I medtech, but I do not have any idea what that course is all about,” Huang said in Bisaya.
However, as she entered San Pedro College to take a medical technology degree, she learned to love the field. She enjoyed studying and learning about diagnosis of diseases, laboratory work, chemical procedures, and the like. The word “sabton (understand)” fueled Huang through her college journey.
During her university days, Huang shared she was not really into topping academics and garnering awards. She just wanted to survive one week at a time, calling it “survival mode."
“Ang gina-isip nako, may nang magkalisod ko’g study, kaysa magkalisod ko tungod sa regret (In my mind, it’s better to study hard than to regret hard),” Huang said
After four years of medtech, Huang said she relaxed a bit. She even started her review in January through a Manila-based online review center, so she would do her classes and tests online.
“I’m thankful to my supportive family, especially during review season. They give what I need, whether it’s coffee, or giving me space to study,” Huang said.
Fast forward to her licensure exams, Huang admitted she crammed and even reviewed the night before the exams. She even suffered discomfort during the exam proper.
“Sakit na akong ulo, akong mata (I had headache and eye strain), every other question kailangan na nako mag-pause, tinuod gyud diay tong ingon nila, so nag-struggle gyud ko ato (I need to pause... those who had took the exams before were right, so I struggled during exams),” Huang said.
She felt quite confident with her answers in the exams as she went back home that day.
However, it was only on the day of the results, March 14, she felt anxious about whether she answered the exam questionnaire correctly or not. The results were supposed to be released at 3 p.m. but there was a delay.
When the results were released by 10 p.m., she not only saw that she passed but to her surprise, she was among those who topped the exam.
“Meaning atong naa akong pangalan [sa passing list], naka-shade jud diay ko ato (My name was included in the passing list, that means I’ve shaded my answers correctly),” Huang said in jest.
Now that she’s a licensed medical technologist, she plans to continue pursuing medicine and help her family with their business. She also considers working while waiting for enrollment in medical schools in Davao City later this year.
“You’ll just learn to love it. If you want it, go for it,” Huang advised those who wanted to pursue medtech.
“I am happy that because of Covid-19, the medical industry including medical technologists has been recognized. Our professions are now called unsung heroes of modern times,” Huang added.